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Are You A Candidate For Dental Implants

Med — Sun, 30 May 2010 23:34:52 +0000

For an adult, missing a tooth can be an embarrassing problem. If the tooth is in the front, where it is an easily seen when you smile, it may affect you self-esteem and your image. You want to have a confidant smile. The good news is that there is something you can do to replace that missing tooth. Dental implants are a popular and permanent way of replacing teeth at any age.

In addition, dental implants can replace more than one tooth and for many reasons. You might have lost your tooth due to injury or it might even be a hereditary problem. With dental implants, your oral surgeon can easily replace one tooth. The implant will replace both the tooth and the root. An implant can also replace several teeth. In this case, the implant will replace a row of teeth and a few of the roots. If you are missing all of your teeth, an implant can be made like full dentures. Dental implants take little recovery time and look very natural, which makes them a good choice for many people.

When you go to your dentist for a missing tooth, there are several factors he or she will look at to determine whether or not you are a candidate for dental implants. You will work with your dentist or an oral surgeon to check the following factors:

Good dental hygiene: One of the first things your oral surgeon will look at is your current dental hygiene. This is important because the success of your implants will be determined by your oral hygiene. This means you must make a commitment to visit your dentist on a regular basis and brush and floss properly.

Healthy gum tissue: You will also need to have healthy gum tissue before you get any dental implants. This is because your dental implants will rest against your gum and when you have your surgery, your gums will be cut and stitched. You will need to be able to heal from the surgery.

Jaw bone: Another factor is whether nor not you have adequate bone in your jaw. You will need the bone to support the implant. Your dental implant is designed to last you for years and if your bones are not strong enough, they will not be adequately supported.

Space: Your oral surgeon will also look at the space that you have. In some cases, the space might be too small for an implant. If the space is too big for one implant, you might need further work on the area before the implant procedure.

Health: Your oral surgeon will also take your health into account before deciding if you can support a dental implant. Some patients with diabetes may not be good candidates for this procedure because they do not heal as efficiently as others.

If you are missing teeth, you can work with your dentist and other dental care providers to replace the missing teeth. You will find that dental implants will offer you a confidant, healthy smile.

Common Dental Procedures And What To Expect

Med — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:38:52 +0000

Braces : The purpose of braces are to correct teeth positioning by moving them into proper position within the mouth. Your dentist may also suggest braces if you have a Malocclusion, which simply means you have an underbite (lower jaw bigger than upper jaw) or overbite (upper jaw bigger than lower jaw). If you dentist notice that you have crowded, crooked teeth or a malocculusin, they will refer you to a specialist called a “orthodontist”. Braces can be constructed using metal, ceramic or synthetic materials. They are usually held in place with wires. Now days you can even get clear braces or braces that closely match the color of your teeth, especially nice for the fashion conscience teen. Braces are usually put on at the earliest at age 10. Your orthodontist will schedule multiple appointments to readjust or reposition your braces. Make sure you let your orthodontist know if you experience different from what you have been told to expect. Should you require a little extra help, your orthodontist may ask you to wear a head. A normal length of time to wear braces is about 2 years. You will usually need to wear a retainer to make sure your teeth do not decide to go back to their original locations. You may have to wear your retainer all day or all night for up to 2 years. Your orthodontist will let you know how much and for how long you will have to wear your retainer. This will depend on your teeth and is not the same for everyone.

Bridge : A bridge is used when you have missing teeth. The bridge is placed between the teeth that are on either side of your “gap”. The bridge is “false teeth”. The purpose of the bridge is to give you good chewing ability and to prevent your other teeth from shifting into the gap which might lead to gum disease or a poor bite. The bridge can also improve your speech ability.

Crown : This is not the kind that royalty wear, it is what is used to replace part of the tooth that is visible above the gum, when the tooth is broken or decayed or to strengthen a tooth. A crown (tooth cap) can be made of metal, porcelain, resin or a combination of metal and porcelain. The crown is usually cemented into place.

Dentures : There are two types of dentures, partial and complete. Dentures are false teeth. Partials are similar to bridges and are used when you have only a few teeth that have been lost. A partial is used instead of a bridge when there are no teeth in the back of your mouth to support a bridge. Complete dentures are used when all of either the top or bottom teeth are lost.

Filling : A filling is a common procedure when a cavity is discovered. A silver filling can contain mercury, silver, tin, or copper. First your dentist will remove any decay from your tooth. Then the dentist fills the hole with silver amalgam (an alloy consisting mainly of silver mixed with mercury and other various metals). A filling’s purpose is to restore the function of the tooth and to prevent further decay or infection in that tooth.

No matter what dental procedure your dentist or hygienist is thinking of using; remember to ask questions before they start. Knowledge is power. Understanding why the procedure is necessary and what exactly will be done, will help to put you at ease.

Smoking

Med — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:51:52 +0000

You know smoking is bad for you. It is a costly habit that affects not only your pocketbook, but your health as well. Besides your health, you can add your teeth to the reasons why you should not smoke. Consider the following problems smoking can cause with your oral health:

Smoking promotes a sticky tar deposits on your teeth, which leads to yellow and brown stains on your teeth. While this is not a severe problem, it is not attractive and makes your smile less than dazzling. Many times, these stains cannot be removed, even with a thorough cleaning from your dentist.

Smoking also delays the healing of your gums. This means that your gums are susceptible of developing serious gum disease, which can lead to painful oral lesions, bleeding of the gums and even tooth loss. Gum disease is a problem that is exacerbated by smoking.

Smoking and bad breath go hand in hand. When you smoke, you will have problems with bad breath and halitosis. You can brush, rinse with mouthwash and use mints and gum, but until you stop smoking, the problem will remain.

Smoking leads to a condition called “smokers palate”, which is red inflammation on the roof of the mouth. This can make eating hot foods or drinking hot beverages painful. You might even find that when you smoke, you do not have much taste for foods. The taste of the tobacco masks the natural flavors of food.

Smoking also leads to gum recession, which can lead to serious problems with your teeth. This means that smoking (or even chewing tobacco) can cause the gums to recede along the top of your teeth at the roots. This can expose the root and lead to decay or tooth loss.

Smoking also leads to oral cancer. This is the most serious side effect when it comes to smoking and your oral care. Oral cancer is just as dangerous as any other type of cancer. In fact, over 75 percent of all oral cancer cases in America are associated with cigarette smoking and other tobacco use. Depending on how long you have smoked and how many cigarettes you smoke each day will determine your risk for developing oral cancer.

Because oral cancer is the most serious side effect of tobacco use, you should know the early symptoms and how to detect cancer. If you have swelling, growths or lumps or find red or white patches in your mouth, you should be screened for oral cancer right away. In addition, stay on the look out for bleeding, sores and difficulty swallowing and chewing.

You know how smoking cause problems with your teeth. Now you should know that kicking the smoking and tobacco habit can reverse these problems. In fact, if you stop using tobacco products, in ten years, your risk for developing oral cancer will decrease dramatically. If you are a smoker, consider stopping the habit. In addition, you should always be aware of the problems smoking and tobacco use can cause with your teeth and see your dentist on a regular basis.

Special Care Dentistry Who Uses It And Why

Med — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:54:52 +0000

There is a unique branch of dentistry that is devoted to persons who have special needs. These persons may have a learning disability, a physical disease, a chronic condition, a mental illness or may not have access to good dental care (the homeless, those who abuse chemical substances or vagrants). People in these groups may have difficulty finding quality dental care for many reasons. Sometimes it is a physical barrier that keeps them from the dentist; like unable to climb outside stairs, not having dental clinics that are suitable to their needs in their neighborhoods, or dentists who are unwilling to care for them because of prejudiced attitudes.

The barrier at times can be the person himself or herself and their inability to understand the need for dental care or what is being done during procedures. Sometimes all they need is to be able to overcome anxiety associated with dental care. They may need more than patience and explanations; they may need sedation during procedures in order to be able to cope with having dental care performed. Sometimes anesthesia is required if the patient has uncontrolled bodily movements or have an inability to comprehend the proceedings and may become overly distraught or combative. General anesthesia should only be used when absolutely necessary due to the risk that anesthesia carries with it. Facilities designed to offer general anesthesia are also limited and not available in all areas.

The dentists who treat patients with special needs are going to have to address some special issues. These issues revolve around medical, consent, and equipment or product needs. Dentists who care for patients with special needs also need to have staff willing to be compassionate, and understanding of these very special patients.

Dental visits may require extra time for special needs because of equipment or for the time involved in explaining, soothing or assessing the ability of the patient to give legal permission to complete dental work. If the patient is unable to understand what the dental proceedings are about, a relative or legal guardian may need to be present that can act on the patient’s behalf.

Those in need of special care dentistry can find them in general dental practices, dental care given by health boards or dental clinics and dental hospitals. Not only do patients with special needs require at times special facilities or equipment; they also need dentists with compassion and the ability to understand the unique needs of their dental patients with special needs. Unfortunately parents or caregivers of young children with special needs may experience greater difficulty in finding appropriate dental care due to the nature of the specialty and special needs of children in general.

Adults and children with special needs still require the same kind of quality dental health care as those of us without special physical or mental needs.

Those who are searching for special care dentistry can ask for referrals from local dentists, their primary care physician or look in the phone book under “special care dentistry”. You may be able to locate special care dentistry registries online by searching using Google or other search engines. Websites such as “Hands On Health : South Carolina” is just one such Special Care Dentistry Directory, where dentists can register as being providers for special needs patients.

All About Fillings

Med — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:25:52 +0000

When it comes to dental health and the dentist’s office, there is one thing that a lot of people fear. Cavities can be caused by bacteria breaking down sugars within the mouth, and in order to properly deal with the cavities, fillings must be administered. In this article, we’ll explain the process of dental fillings in order to give you a little bit of increased knowledge surrounding the topic that so many of us fear.

When a filling is administered, the dentist uses a drill in order to fully expose the damage that has been done to the tooth. Once the dentist has used the drill to reach the root of the problem, they employ a type of filling which may be made of several different materials. Dental amalgam is a commonly employed type of filling, and it is made of silver, tin, copper, and mercury. It’s an inexpensive type of filling material which holds up well over time when it comes to biting into food. These types of fillings can be easily seen since they have a silvery appearance.

Porcelain fillings are a type of filling that are gaining more and more recognition in the world of dentistry. One of the most wonderful aspects of porcelain fillings is the fact that they are the color of teeth, so it is not as easy to tell when someone has a porcelain filling as opposed to a dental amalgam one. Porcelain fillings are not without their drawbacks, however, and getting a porcelain filling usually involves at least two trips to the dentist’s office and they are more likely to break over time than their amalgam counterparts.

Another commonly used type of material for fillings is known as composite resin. This type of material consists of a combination of glass and powdered resin. Composite resin fillings are rather durable, and fairly able to resist the damage that can be caused from biting down. Composite resin can be made in different colors, allowing for tooth-colored fillings to mask the appearance of the cavity. They also have some drawbacks, however, including the fact that they are known to shrink when hardened, leaving the possibility of leakage lurking.

As with any different types of medical procedures, having a cavity filled is not a process that comes without any types of side effects. Since there are so many different types of materials that can be used in dental fillings, you need to ensure that you are not allergic to any of the materials that are present in the filling that you are considering getting.

Now that you know a little bit more about the different types of materials that are commonly used for dental fillings, you are better able to make the kinds of determinations that you need to when you find out that you have a cavity. When it comes to dental health, you should do all that you can to avoid the need of having a filling by maintaining a regular schedule of brushing your teeth and flossing, with regular dental visits to ensure that your mouth is in the shape that it should be.

Root Canal 101

Med — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:23:52 +0000

Everything and more you wanted to know about Root Canal. Most of us would rather avoid anything to do with Root Canals. Understanding about Root Canals can help you to really avoid them. There are some common misconceptions concerning root canals from people who do not know much about them. Here is a short summary about what a root canal is.

Many people have real anxiety concerning having a root canal performed on them, because they fear pain. The truth is that the pain involved in having a root canal is no more painful than having a cavity filled. It is also feared that there will need to be numerous trips to the dentist to complete the work. The truth is that most dentists today can complete the root canal in one or two visits.

Another misconception is that if you have a crown on your tooth, that the crown will somehow cause root canal work to be needed on that tooth. This is a erroneous conclusion. A root canal is needed only if the tooth has become abscessed. This happens when bacteria creep in under the crown and causes decay to form in the pulp of the tooth.

Because of the name, most people think that when the dentist performs a root canal that they are removing the roots of the tooth. This is incorrect, what the dentist is really doing, during a root canal, is removing the pulp of the tooth.

Once the root canal is finished, you need to maintain a good dental health program. If you take good care of your teeth from now on, there is every reason to believe that the tooth that had the root canal work done on it, should last the rest of your life.

After the root canal is completed, you will need to return to the dentist for what is called “permanent restoration”. Without the permanent restoration, the tooth could become dry and brittle. This will make the tooth susceptible to breakage.

When your dentist approaches you with the news of a need for having a root canal; the tooth is at the point of having no other options to be saved. Your dentist may perform the root canal or you may be referred to a specialist called an Endodontist to have the root canal done.

What Happens When A Root Canal Is Performed:

The dentist will numb your tooth first. Then a rubber dam will be used to keep the tooth area dry and free of saliva. The dam is a piece of rubber that fits over the tooth to keep it isolated from the rest of the mouth.

Your dentist will then prepare the tooth by drilling a hole in the tooth. Then the dentist will remove all of the decay and bacteria he finds in the tooth. A tool that your dentist will use to clean out the canals of the tooth is called a root canal file. This is how the pulp of the tooth is removed. Your dentist may wait a week or two after doing this to be sure that there is no further incidents of decay or infection. If your dentist chooses to wait, he will clean your tooth, and put some soothing medicine inside the tooth, seal it closed and put a temporary filling on top of the tooth.

When you return to the dentist for your next appointment, the dentist will fill the canals with a rubber filling material that is called: gutta percha. The dentist will then put a regular filling on top of the tooth.

What Does A Sealant Have To Do With Preventing Dental Decay

Med — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:02:52 +0000

A sealant is a plastic type of material that is applied to the back teeth (premolars and molars) on the chewing surfaces. The plastic bonds to depressions and grooves, pits and fissures of the tooth surface. The sealant acts much like a barrier and protects the enamel of the tooth from plaque and acids.

Brushing and flossing is great but cannot always reach the depressions our teeth contain. Food particles can get into these grooves and cavities can form there. The sealant can protect these areas by “sealing out” the food particles and plaque.

Applying a sealant is a three-step process. Your dentist or dental hygienist will first clean the teeth that are going to receive the sealant, with special toothpaste. They will put a special cleansing liquid, on a tiny piece of cotton, then rub it gently on the tooth wash it off. Finally, the sealant is painted on the tooth. The sealant hardens by the aid of a special curing light that speeds up the hardening process. As long as the sealant remains intact the tooth surface will be protected. Sealants will remain under normal chewing and usually last for years (5 to 10). Your dentists will check the condition of the sealants and reapply them if necessary. Check with your insurance carrier to see if they cover any of the cost of the sealant application.

Children are usually the ones to receive sealants, but adults can have them applied as well, should they wish to. Some insurance programs will only pay for children though, so you may wish to check with your insurance policy before having the procedure done.

Which Teeth and What Age?

Permanent molars are the teeth most vulnerable and full of grooves, so they are prime candidates for the sealant application. First molars appear in a child’s mouth around age 6. Second molars appear in the child’s mouth around age 12. The sealant should be applied soon after these molars appear, and before decay has a chance to appear. Children who are between 5 and 15 benefit most from sealant applications.

Can You See Sealants?

If you look closely sealants can be seen. Sealants can be clear, white, or slightly tinted. Sealants are used only on the back teeth, so you cannot see sealants when a child talks or smiles.

Will Sealants Make The Teeth Feel Different?

Like anything that is placed in the mouth and is new to the child, a child may notice them and feel them with their tongue. Sealants are very thin and they only fill the pits and grooves on molar teeth.

Sealants are not meant to replace the need for fluorides. Fluorides such as those we have in our community water supply, in our toothpaste, and in our mouth rinses also help to prevent tooth decay and must still be used in when we have sealants. Fluorides work on the smooth surfaces of the teeth and sealants work on the grooves and pits of the teeth. Fluorides and sealants work together to prevent tooth decay.

Dental Health Tips

Med — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:35:52 +0000

It can be difficult to keep in good oral hygiene considering the fact that there are so many different things that you have to do to keep your mouth healthy and your gums strong. In this article, we’ll attempt to simplify the process by giving you some tips that can be helpful for getting into good oral hygiene habits.

One thing that you should do in order to keep your dental health at a good level is to make sure that you don’t overly indulge on drinks and foods that contain phosphorous. Phosphorous is a type of compound that can erode the body’s levels of calcium if consumed in too high of quantities, so you should do your best to avoid drinking soft drinks that contain it, as well as coffee and alcohol. In addition to sapping the calcium that is necessary to keep your bones and teeth strong and healthy, soft drinks can also leave stains on your teeth which can detract from the beauty of your smile. You may want to consider taking calcium supplements in order to ensure that your body is getting all the nutrition it needs for making your teeth and bones strong. Vitamins C and D can also be of help to maintaining strong teeth, as they help the human body to absorb calcium more readily and efficiently.

One thing that few people realize is that your body’s immune system fights off the bacteria that are present within your mouth. To that end, you should ensure that your immune system is in good shape, and do your best to get at least eight hours of sleep per evening so that your body gets the rest that it needs to function properly.

You should do your best to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once per day. It is generally recommended that you floss before you brush your teeth so that you can brush away the food particles that were removed from your gums from flossing.

Quitting smoking can be helpful to your health for many reasons, not to mention your oral hygiene. Smoking tobacco leaves stains on the teeth which don’t come out without extensive whitening sessions. Smoking also prevents the body from absorbing calcium as readily as it should, and it also contributes greatly to your risk of developing a case of oral cancer.

It is imperative that you visit your dentist twice per year so that you can get your teeth cleaned and you can be examined in order to determine if there are any problems in your mouth that need to be addressed such as cavities or periodontal disease.

The more that you get used to keeping up good oral hygiene habits, the easier it will become to stick to them. Starting an oral hygiene program is the most difficult part and it only gets easier from there, so do your best to commit yourself to proper dental health today!

How To Get And Keep That Beautiful Smile

Med — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:44:52 +0000

You may be doing things without knowing it that are harming your teeth and preventing you from having that beautiful smile you desire. Let’s face it, when you first notice someone, isn’t it if they are smiling that you notice first? If they are smiling, don’t you notice if their teeth are white or not? You also notice if their teeth are straight or crooked, right? Well, people are looking for those things in your smile too. There are some simple things you can do at home to ensure that your teeth are in their healthiest and whitest condition that they can be.

Brushing

You have probably heard that it is a good thing to brush after each and every meal. Have you heard how long you are to brush? Most people do not brush their teeth long enough. If you are average, you most likely brush for 30 seconds or so. That is not even one minute of teeth brushing! To really do a good job, you should brush from 2 to 3 minutes. I remember when my kids were young, I taught them to sing (silently) the ABC song. If sung correctly, it takes about 2 to 3 minutes to sing this song. A child is not going to know how long to brush if you just say, “brush for 2 to 3 minutes”. If you tell them to sing the ABC song (silently) then they know how long they should brush.

The reason you brush is to remove bacteria from your teeth. It is the bacteria that cause tooth decay. You need to brush 2 to 3 minutes to effectively remove the bacteria from the surfaces of each tooth. It takes that long to brush in front of each tooth, and in back of each tooth. You need to brush the front teeth, the back teeth, the teeth in the middle, the teeth on top and the teeth on bottom. You cannot do all this brushing in just 30 seconds.

Did you know that you could damage your tooth enamel by brushing too hard? Do you suffer from receding gums, sensitive teeth, or notched teeth? If you do, it may be due to brushing too hard. It really does not take strength to brush away bacterial from your teeth; just gentle motion of the toothbrush bristles and toothpaste.

Flossing

Flossing is an excellent way to get the bacteria in between your teeth that brushing alone cannot reach. It is important to get the bacteria caused by acid from sugars because that is how cavities form. When bacteria come in contact with the tooth enamel that lies at the sides of your teeth and are not brushed away; they stay there clinging to the enamel and can erode away at your enamel.

Foods to Watch

Most of us have heard that candy can cause tooth decay. Well, technically it is not the candy, but the sugar in candy that bacteria feed on, turning it to acid. It is the acid that erodes away at your tooth enamel, creating the cavity. Many foods turn to sugar in our mouth. Foods that contain starch and some carbohydrates turn to sugar in our mouth. Some of the foods we should watch out for are: peanut butter, raisins, fruits, crackers, potato chips, and popcorn. Basically look at the label of the foods you eat and look for the word “sugar” or “glucose”, there are other words that mean the same as sugar, but those are the two major ones. If you see those words then the food you are eating contains sugar. Be sure to brush your teeth after eating foods that contain sugar. If you cannot brush right away, rinse your mouth with water or chew sugarless gum.

Beverages To Watch

Coffee, Tea and other beverages with sugar can harm your white smile. You know that coffee and tea can stain your teeth, but did you know that when you sip on beverages with sugar that can harm your teeth as well? Most people do not brush when they drink beverages during the day or night. The sugar from these beverages can sit on tooth enamel, creating breeding grounds for bacteria. It would be better to drink these beverages with meals and then to brush afterwards. You can also drink sugarless beverages or water.

How Thumb Sucking Affects The Teeth

Med — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:07:52 +0000

It is estimated that an average of thirty percent of preschool children suck their thumbs and continue doing so until that age of five. Children suck their thumb for a variety of reasons including habit, boredom, tiredness, and stress and being shy. For the most part, you do not need to worry about thumb sucking until your child starts loosing baby teeth and the permanent ones start coming in. This usually happens around age six. This is when sucking the thumb will start affecting the teeth.

Depending on how often your child sucks their thumb, will determine the severity of dental problems, The more your child uses his or her thumb for comfort, the more dental problems you can expect. If your child is still sucking the thumb after the age of three, you can expect the following dental problems:

Teeth grow out of alignment and are in awkward positions.

Upper teeth will tip upward and the dental arch will narrow.

Thumb sucking causes reshaping of the jawbone, which can lead to the need for a palate expander.

Lower teeth can more inward.

In addition, thumb sucking can also cause problems with chewing, tongue placement, problems with swallowing, speech problems, over bite or under bite, and snoring. So, if your child sucks his or her thumb and it is starting to cause dental problems, what should you do?

The first thing you should do is to try to break your child of the thumb sucking habit. As any parent knows, this can often be easier said than done. You may have already tried products such as Bitter Apple. This product makes the thumb taste bad and can discourage the action. However, for avid thumb suckers, this may not be a deterrent. If you need professional advice, you should speak to your dentist. Your dentist will be able to offer options to help your child break the thumb sucking habit. Here are some common options:

Thumb guard: These are plastic devices that are worn over the thumb making sucking on the thumb nearly impossible. Most of the time, children will wear this device at home or while sleeping, when they are likely to suck on their thumb the most.

Palate device: This device is installed on the roof of the palate and discourages thumb sucking. This is a common and very effective device. Your dentist will put it in place and will take it out when the child has given up the habit. Just as with orthodontic work, it will be important that your child understand how to brush the device properly.

When your child sucks their thumb, it can be very frustrating for you and your child. You can encourage your child to stop the habit by offering plenty of praise and encouragement. Never embarrass or tease your child about thumb sucking, as this does more harm than good. Most children will eventually give up the habit on their own, but if it is causing dental problems or the habit is continuing, you may need to seek advice from your dentist.